Committe votes YES on bill for Birth Center Sustainability and Midwife Workforce Development

In the Massachusetts legislature, both the House and Senate Committees on Financial Services voted “yes” to advance a bill that will require insurers and Medicaid to provide fair reimbursement rates for birth centers and midwifery care in Massachusetts. Currently, midwifery practices and birth centers struggle to remain open and provide care due to low or no insurance reimbursement for their services.

H.5016/S.784, An Act promoting and enhancing the sustainability of birth centers and the midwifery workforce, was proposed by Massachusetts legislators Senator Joan Lovely, Representative Manny Cruz, and Representative Lindsay Sabadosa at the start of the legislative session in January 2025.

With favorable reports from the Financial Services Committee, the bill heads to the Health Care Financing Committee.

The bill has 33 House Cosponsors and 16 Senate Cosponsors.

Prior to the committee vote, many supporters came out to testify in support of the bill at the Joint Committee on Financial Services hearing on October 14, 2025. Check out the hearing recap.